Superdog

I just got my xB2. It's nice but the ride is a bit harsh for an old timer like me. I have searched and found some folks have changed the stock shocks in the rear to Monroes but that was for the xB1 model.
I can't seem to find anyone that says they used them on xB2. What model would they be? I've seen 5601, 5897, 5987 and Monroe.com says none of them work on the xB2.

I don't want to lower the ride height. I want to keep it stock but I want a smoother ride. I want it to ride like a Cadillac. Why didn't I just buy a Cadillac? I can't fit in them. They're too short.

I had a Nissan Cube until the transmission blew and it was quite a bit smoother than the xB2. No more Nissan crap. Strange the xB2 has a longer wheel base and that usually means smoother ride.
It does corner a lot better than the Cube but I drive it like grandpa. And I don't like it in the a$$ so I would like to smooth it out but keep it stock.

Same story on springs. They all seem to lower the car, not keep it stock.

Ideas?

FromTheOld

Your ideal setup is stock dampers + stock springs, end of story. Lowering springs lower the car, obviously. They don't sell springs that keep the same height. No dampers will make the car ride more like a boat....they will either behave the same as stock or be slightly more aggressive.

I did not talk about "air suspension" because honestly, I don't really know much about them or care for them at all.....so maybe someone more knowledgeable about those could say something.

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

IMO the first thing you should try is reducing your tire pressure to 32 front, 30 rear. If that's not enough, consider new tires with a taller sidewall like 205/60/16 or 205/65/16. Avoid all "performance" and run-flat tires and look at "touring" tires. Tire Rack is great and even has tire ratings for ride comfort.

You won't find softer shocks and although air suspension might work for you, it costs a lot more than a set of tires.

Superdog

Today I took your advice and went online to Tire Rack. I chatted with the guy there and he recommended the Michellin Primacy MXV4 as it had a 9.0 ride comfort rating.

He did not recommend going to a higher sidewall because the odometer and speed would be off so I found a site that had a tire calculator and calculated the speed would read 58 MPH when driving 60 if I went to a 60 sidewall.

That didn't bother me so I went down to discount tire and got 4 205/60 R16s which are .7 inches taller than the stock tires. They fit fine, plenty of room and no rubbing at all. I made several tight u turns to make sure.

Driving home I could tell they were a better ride right away. They also gave me credit for the old tires since they were brand new.

Was it worth $550? You guys spend $550 every weekend screwing with your cars. I would say the ride is improved and the wet traction, etc. is all better with the new tire so the answer would be yes.

How much has it improved? That's hard to judge. I would say maybe 20% better. I will never go back to a 55 sidewall especially since the price is the same.

FromTheOld

Yeah, the stock tires are sort of annoying on this car. When I changed mine out my ride was a lot better. Good advice, ScionFred

lefty29er

$550 and your happy...Hela good deal

xseveredveganx

Definitely! If you're happy with it, that's all that matters!
Which tires did you get, if you don't mind me asking?

Superdog

Michellin Primacy MXV4

xseveredveganx

$550 isn't that bad, as long as they have a warranty. Keep them properly inflated, rotated and balanced, and they should last quite a while.
If I could afford Michelins, I would.

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

I'm very happy that the new tires worked out for you.

Superdog

New tires have definitely helped but I still want to try new shocks in the rear. I may try the Yaris shocks which are Monroe 5624. It's a $100 gamble though as these may not fit.

Actually $100 seems rather cheap considering my last trip to Vegas.

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

If you follow this link and click on the part # there are the spec's for Monroe 5624: http://catalog.monroe.com/catalog/eC...neBaseId=53932

Now all you need are the spec's for your oem shocks to see if they fit.

Superdog

Thanks Fred.

Today I got the Monroe 5624's and 15 mins later I had the answer. The 5624 is a fail. The bolt on the lower shock mount is too big to fit thru the eyelet of the Monroe. That's too bad as I do believe the Monroe would have been an improvement. There was some speculation that the Yaris was the same platform as the xb2 so I was hoping the shock would fit.

Looks like I'm down to just two options if I want a smoother ride. Get used to it or flog the car off to the dealer.

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

If you know anyone with a xD those shocks will fit since the xd shares the Yaris platform. Unfortunately cross-referencing some softer shocks may not be possible. Especially since Monroe describes the lower mounting point only as "special". Probably a Toyota-only design. The only non-oem replacements I can find are Tokico and they are indeed firmer.

You could have softer or progressive rate springs made but it isn't very easy or cheap.

Good luck whatever you decide.

FromTheOld

Dampers are not meant to be interchanged between cars, even if it literally "fits". Valving is not only done by analyzing spring rates, but also the weight of the car (more specifically, corner weights/positioning of the dampers). Why do people want to do this? I'll never understand.

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

^^ Good point. However there is always a chance that one could get lucky. For someone looking for the softest ride possible, the margin for 'close enough' is pretty wide. I doubt the OP has much "spirited" driving in mind. Still, you're correct that mis-matched dampers could have various negative effects on handling and even tire wear.

sp2

i heard the tanabe nf springs made ride smoother then stock springs

FromTheOld

It's not even handling though...it's how the car reacts to the road surface on random skips/bumps in the road. Either way, I guess you have a point. Never a good idea though. Spring rates of another car are most likely not the same, and neither are the corner weights.

pyroman131

Although the springs create a smooth ride and eliminate the choppy ride of the stock springs, superdog does not wish to lower his car at this time.

@Superdog: Do you have pictures of your new tires? Because of my back issues, I'm going to be downgrading to 16" wheels again and would like to see how well those tires fill up the wheel wells. I'm looking into installing something like Rota Torque wheels due to their impressive weight being lighter than stock OEM steelies.

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

My second car is a 93 Subaru Legacy wagon that came with air suspension. When I got it in 2010 the airbag struts were shot and replacements were $400+ each. Searching Subie forums turned up the proven practice of installing struts and springs from specific MY Outbacks or Foresters. I installed struts and springs from a 2000 Forester and they've been working great for a year and 15k miles now. Ride, handling and tire wear are all excellent. The Forester struts are longer and provide a 1.5" suspension lift which is the same as my previous air suspension was on the "high" setting so the geometry is very close. The Forester weighs within a hundred pounds of my Legacy, has very similar F-R weight bias and strut positioning so the spring rates are also very close. The only drawback is due to the 1.5" suspension lift and it's predictable effect on road handling but I wanted the extra ground clearance for off-road and snow use. There are shorter Impreza struts/springs that work equally well on my Legacy for those who want to keep the standard ride height.

I understand and appreciate your very valid point but merely wish to suggest that there are cases where swapping springs, shocks or struts from different vehicles can work beautifully. As you correctly point out though, it could also go quite wrong in some instances.




Regarding the Tanabe NF210 idea, Tanabe states that their NF210s are up to 5% stiffer than oem springs and being 1-1.5" shorter, there's no way they actually produce a smoother ride than stock. What they do is lower the vehicle height while maintaining slightly firmer but close to oem ride quality. Not really what the OP wants.


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